Y2K Pegs

My first child was born in April of 2000. At the time my husband and I were painting the new baby's bedroom gender-neutral yellow stripes and buying teenie diapers and back-up pacifiers, the news ran stories of folks stock-piling general essentials in case computers, traffic lights and banking systems went hay-wire when the century changed. One baby's room project was a peg board for displaying cute clothes. My husband carved frolicking rabbits into the board, then bought pre-made maple pegs to finish up. The pegs came in a box of 50, vastly more than he needed, but much cheaper on a per-peg basis than just buying the 6 he would use. Let's call it his Y2K preparations.

We have been working through that box of pegs ever since. Now that our son is half-way through middle school, we have reached the bottom of the box. I love, love, love my new wall storage rack for oil cloth and laminated cotton rolls. Three rows of stout maple pegs give plenty of support to my raw materials. No trip to the hardware store is necessary; we have the ingredients for countless projects right here at home.

Sewing and Minecraft

Over the long, very hot summer, the go-to activity at my house has been playing Minecraft. All my kids (and my husband, too) have created elaborate worlds, filled with houses, railroads to nowhere, bottomless swimming pools with diving boards and vast farms of wheat, red and yellow flowers and sheep. They have learned that if you put two adult sheep together you will get a lamb. The baby will be the color of one of the parents. My son performed a vast, virtual Mendelssohn pea experiment with Minecraft sheep, all housed in separate pens and sorted by color to prove that traits are passed down through the generations. Lately, my sewing has been working the same way. My so-called large essentials bag is designed to look big enough to be a gift. It can contain bathroom supplies, home office bric-a-brac, or cords and chargers for travel. My sister gives large essential bags filled with baby items as shower gifts.

One of my customers, W, asked for a slightly taller and deeper bag to be made out of oil cloth and laminated cotton to serve as a toiletries bag. (in back of photo) At a recent farmers' market, A asked me to put a handle on a large essentials bag. She saw the shape and size as purse.

Tweaking my standard pattern, these projects push me to move to a new generation of sewing items.

Cover It Up

I love, love, love to sew the same thing over and over again. Varying only the fabric, I relish the productivity of repetition. And yet, there isn't much chance that I'll learn something new if I repeat a pattern indefinitely. This is why it's good to attempt the occasional one-off project. My friend A wanted a cover for her toaster. She knew she wanted the letter and the orange dot fabric worked in. Using my mom's sewing machine cozy as inspiration, I made this. It wasn't difficult, but it was something I haven't made before. It's good to vary the routine.

Christmas in July

My daughter turns 7 in November. She has started her birthday wish list already. It is dominated by various lovelies we have seen at the Eclectic artist co-op on Main Street in Urbana while we add to the stash of pouches and whatnot I'm selling there. My daughter's enthusiasm for approaching holidays is a good reminder that the best time to prepare for special events is when you see something you like. The above Christmas fabric is new; I bought it because it's time to get ready.

Nephew's Luggage

I have a new nephew. Though he is quite small, he needs supplies. This denim and Ed Emberley dragon print diaper bag should hold the necessities for a little boy out and about. The zippered top closes over two open interior pockets, one snapped pocket and a zippered compartment for valuables. Outside is another zippered pocket and an open pocket with elastic across the top to allow some expansion. The shoulder strap adjusts and removes, in case Mom and Dad want to carry the bag by side handles instead. Enjoy, Baby Simon!

Pillows Plus

The magazines claim a few casually displayed pillows bring style to a room without commitment. I look around my house and see missed opportunity. The pillows I have are largely older, possible dirty and even ripped. No more! My friend T has asked me to make zippered pillow covers for her couch. While I"m at at, I'll make some things for myself. The first installment is a Melody Miller fabric on a chair next to our dining table. Maybe a dishes design is too cutsie to be stylish, but for half a yard of fabric and a red zipper, I'm in.

Pantry Basket

I'm motivated to make fabric baskets lately, and I'd like to find the best ways to make baskets that are useful, attractive, durable and fun with fabric. Up to now, I've been trying to improve my baskets by experimenting with different combinations of interfacing and stabilizers as well as fussy ways to trim and iron. Baskets made from pieced fabric offer visual interest and maybe a little commentary, too. I could make a pieced basket with children's book characters. I could make a pieced basket showing the progression of the seasons; I could piece a basket with cats next to dogs. This vegetable basket is perhaps over-pieced. Still, the concept has potential.

Summer Purses

Thanks once again to Pinterest for showing me a new purse design. This shoulder bag comes from Anna Graham of Noodlehead. I am intrigued with the fabric mix-and-match options of a front panel and side pockets and side panels. The curved and multi-panel construction takes awhile, but I think the result is sophisticated and functional. My new bag this summer is made from Japanese Kokka owls and linen.

Market at the Square

This Saturday is my first farmers' market date of the summer. Every other weekend through August, I'll set up under my tent in the Lincoln Square parking lot and pass the morning people watching and chit-chatting. I spent the winter playing with new fabrics; right now I'm drawn to fabric with letters on it, splashy prints with coordinating circle and stripe patterns, organic cottons and fun home dec-weight prints. I made a number of fabric buckets and baskets to see what sizes are appealing to people. I'm also trying pillows this year. Scrappy with home-made binding and a small pocket for something special, I envision the pillow pictured useful for Tooth Fairy visits.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my sister today! She has taken up yoga, so I made her a yoga mat bag for a present. After looking around online for fresh inspiration, I revised my pattern. I like the extra color of a handle made out of fabric instead of cotton webbing. It's stabilized and anchored in the bottom seam for strength. Instead of insetting the zippered pocket, I stitched the whole she-bang to the outside for more color. A cast-off shoelace from the IDEA Store draws through grommets to close the bag.

Almost Summer

It's almost summer and time to get the end-of-year teacher gifts organized. It's a little cheesy, but I'm planning to package thank-you gift cards in fabric pouches this year. I went the literal route for fabric choice. One teacher is a photographer; one just finished a library degree and one I guessed on.

Shower Baskets

My brother and sister-in-law expect a baby boy very soon. I know the nursery has a giraffe on the wall, so I'm going with the theme to wrap up gifts for the baby shower. Maybe someday one of these baskets will be featured in a family scrapbook snapshot of my young nephew wearing a bucket on his head. In the meantime, diapers, p.j.s, board books and the many baby whatnots can be stashed.